Sime - Gen Universe

The Sime~Gen Universe is a creation of author Jacqueline Lichtenberg, and involves a future world where humanity has been divided into two "larities"...Gens, who look like ordinary humans and produce excess quantities of a life energy called selyn, and Simes, who have tentacled arms and must take selyn from Gens in order to survive. The epic science fiction series follows the history of the struggle for Simes and Gens to learn to live together without killing one another, for if a Sime takes selyn from a Gen who is frightened and resisting, then the Gen dies. No child knows if they will be Sime or Gen before they hit puberty.

From the beginning, Simes and Gens live in separate territories, with Simes raising Gens for the kill in Pens, and Gens killing any child who goes into changeover before they become Sime and kill a parent or loved one in first need. As the series progresses, it becomes clear that only the channels--Simes with the ability to take selyn from a frightened Gen, and transfer it to a Sime in need--stand in the way of total extinction of the human species.

The struggle continues after Unity, where Sime and Gen territories have declared an uneasy truce, and channels strive to free all Simes from the kill, and save all children of Gens who turn Sime.

Published Works (Chronological Order)

*"First Channel"
*"Channel's Destiny"
*"The Unity Trilogy" - (including "House of Zeor", "Ambrov Keon", and "Zelerod's Doom")
*"Unto Zeor, Forever"
*"Mahogany Trinrose"
*"Rensime!"
*short story "Operation High Time"
*short story "Channel's Exemption"

"First Channel", "Channel's Destiny", and "Zelerod's Doom" were co-authored by Jean Lorrah, and "Ambrov Keon" was written entirely by Jean Lorrah. There is also an extensive collection of fan-fiction available online, particularly through the official fan site at http://www.simegen.com

The next volume, "To Kiss or To Kill", which contains 2 novels and a short story, was expected to be published by Meisha Merlin Publishing Inc. in June 2006. The title novel is authored by Jean Lorrah, and the volume also contains a short story, "Best of Fools", by Jean Lorrah, and the novel "Personal Recognizance" by Jacqueline Lichtenberg. Another volume, "The Farris Channel", is completed but unpublished.

External links

* [http://www.simegen.com/sgfandom/rimonslibrary/cz/cz11/overview.html a somewhat more detailed summary]